Cao Calls for Congressional Hearings on Oil Leak
Hearings to focus on environmental impact and inspection practices
Washington,
April 29, 2010 -
The U.S. Coast Guard conducts a small-scale test burn Wednesday on a huge oil slick now threatening the Louisiana coast
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Anh "Joseph" Cao is calling for two Congressional hearings into the oil leak from last week's rig explosion and fire in the Gulf of Mexico.
Cao sent letters requesting hearings to leaders of both the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.
In his letter to the leadership of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Cao called for an inquiry into the environmental impact of what could be "one of the worst spills in U.S. history." A third leak was discovered from the underwater well yesterday. The well was found to be discharging 5,000 barrels of oil a day, or about about 210,000 gallons. That's five times the amount originally estimated.
According to experts, the slick, which has already grown larger than the state of Rhode Island and getting bigger all the time, could reach land Friday night, posing a major environmental threat to Louisiana's already fragile coastline.
Click here to read the Congressman's letter to Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chairman James Oberstar, Ranking Member John Mica and Water Resources and Environment Subcommittee Chairwoman Bernice Johnson and Ranking Member John Boozman.
In his letter to the leadership of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee, Cao called for an investigation into the federal government's policies, procedures and practices for safety inspections, certification and management of offshore oil rigs.
Cao pointed out that the U.S. Department of Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) had given the Deepwater Horizon "favorable security reports during its last three routine inspections and gave the rig a safety award last year." Cao said, "This tragic incident raises a number of critical and fundamental issues that require immediate Congressional attention."
Click here to read the Congressman's letter to Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Ed Towns and Ranking Member Darrell E. Issa.
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